The Other Chinatown — Shady Alleys and Secret Lanes

Take a walk to the other side of Bangkok’s Chinatown, a place most people never see — away from the bright lights of Yaowarat and into the narrow, working lanes that once fed the city from the river.

Starting near MRT Sam Yot, the route follows the pencil-thin Sampeng Lane, Chinatown’s first road, where traders, craftsmen and river traffic shaped the district long before modern streets existed. It’s a fast-moving introduction to the real mechanics of the old quarter: markets, canals, and alleys built around trade rather than tourism.

Along the way, the walk drops into stories that rarely make guidebooks: Wat Chakrawat’s resident crocodiles, the mysterious Buddha’s Shadow hidden in a rocky grotto, and the balcony where Sun Yat-sen once stood to raise money for a revolution. The route continues past one of Chinatown’s oldest Chinese schools, through the industrial backstreets of Sieng Kong, where scrap yards once kept Thailand’s trucks, boats and tuk-tuks running, and into quiet riverside lanes in Talat Noi.

The final stretch will take us down one of Bangkok's most happening new districts, Songwat Road, where street art competes with street food.

The walk ends near the unique Mural Alley, where students and artists display their creativity on the walls with photos and murals.

Every walker will receive a detailed, colorful pdf file with detailed instructions, history and stories, including Google Plus Code so that you can walk at your own pace and navigate with Google Maps.

A small token amount of 300 baht per walker is collected to cover the cost of creating the walking guide.